* * *

From the start, he should never have set foot anywhere near this place.

It all happened because he tried to experience some semblance of high society life while drunk, doing things he never would’ve attempted otherwise.

If only he hadn’t gone to the wine bar.

If only he hadn’t struck up a friendly conversation with Cha Yoonjae.

If only the doctor who treated his wrist hadn’t been the same one.

If only, at that very moment, Ki Taeryu hadn’t collapsed.

“…What’s the point of all this now?”

It could only be explained as a series of coincidences piling on top of one another.

‘Just drop off the medicine and leave.’

That was the best he could do at the moment.

Junhee took a deep breath and tapped the card key on the front door.

Click, the door unlocked, and he cautiously stepped inside.

“……!”

As soon as he stepped into the entrance, Junhee covered his nose and mouth, staggering.

‘What the… this pheromone is….’

Even standing at the farthest corner of the spacious room, Ki Taeryu’s pheromone overwhelmed him like crashing waves.

It felt as if he would be swallowed up the moment he lost his balance.

The heavy, suffocating presence of his pheromone clouded Junhee’s mind.

Even though he had taken a suppressant, he couldn’t believe it was affecting him this intensely.

‘Stay… focused.’

Junhee clenched his teeth.

The inside of his mouth must have been cut, as a metallic taste of blood spread, helping him regain some clarity.

“…Are you here?”

Surely, he must have heard the sound of the door opening, but there was no response.

Daeheon’s request was simply to drop off the medicine at Ki Taeryu’s house.

But—

‘I heard a thud, so he might have collapsed… I need to check on him.’

Daeheon’s words echoed in his mind.

The fact that he didn’t come out even after someone entered could mean he was unconscious.

‘It happened last time, too.’

Even though it was just the beginning of his rut cycle, he hadn’t been in good shape.

If he had collapsed and hit his head on a corner, or if it was some kind of emergency…

‘Let’s just make sure he’s okay.’

Junhee tightened his grip on the medicine packet and cautiously moved forward, as if being pushed along by a strong tide.

After passing through the high-ceilinged living room, dining room, and study, he still couldn’t find him. But Junhee knew where he was.

He could feel the intense and faintly wavering pheromone flow from behind the bedroom wall.

Just standing in front of the door made his heart pound and his breathing quicken.

Despite the fierce pheromones, the surroundings were eerily silent.

“…Director.”

The soft call escaped Junhee’s parched lips.

It wasn’t until his lower lip bled that Junhee finally made up his mind.

Screeeech-

Covering his nose with his sleeve, Junhee’s gaze shot straight to the bed.

‘Not here.’

His eyes darted around, quickly scanning the floor, but Ki Taeryu was nowhere to be seen there either.

Junhee’s gaze shifted to the corner of the bedroom.

He hadn’t been there before, but there should be a dressing room and a bathroom connected to the master bedroom.

And perhaps over there…

Crossing the room, his steps grew firm with certainty.

“…!”

There he was, sprawled motionless on the carpet.

Scattered around him were dozens of pills, strewn about like pebbles.

The skin visible through the unbuttoned shirt was flushed red, as if scorched by the blazing sun.

The mouth that had always spoken such harsh words now only emitted faint, labored breaths.

“Director…!”

Junhee rushed over and grabbed Ki Taeryu’s collar.

His entire body was soaked, as if he’d been submerged underwater.

His head was burning, yet his fingertips felt icy cold.

His neck was twisted at an awkward angle. Junhee tried to support his head to straighten it when—

Ki Taeryu’s eyes shot open.

“You’re…awake…!”

Junhee gasped, his breath hitching.

In a flash, Ki Taeryu’s hand grabbed hold of Junhee’s tie.

Like a noose, it tightened around his neck, pulling him closer.

“Why…why are you doing this…?”

The feverish heat radiating from Ki Taeryu’s pitch-black eyes seemed to choke Junhee, catching in his throat.

His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and his breath came ragged, as if his lungs were melting.

The eyes staring back at him were empty.

“Damn it, Junhee.”

The hand clutching his tie slid up to grip Junhee’s chin tightly.

Hot breaths, laced with cutting words, pierced through his ears like a blade.

“You’ve got some nerve, barging in here like this.”

Junhee’s eyelids trembled.

His limbs went limp, as if all his strength had drained away, leaving him without even the will to struggle.

The thick scent of pheromones swelled, preparing to consume Junhee whole, ready to devour him completely.

Could an Alpha’s pheromones truly render someone so helpless?

“Do you think I’m some kind of fool, to kick away a meal served right in front of me?”

His pheromones burrowed into Junhee’s, searching, clawing, stabbing.

Junhee tried desperately to push him away, gasping and flailing, but his movements were weak.

When Ki Taeryu’s hand caressed his pale cheek, a shiver ran through Junhee, like a small, terrified animal sensing death.

Their faces were so close it felt like he was being sucked into the black void of his pupils.

“Get away from me…”

“You came here. With your own two feet.”

Ki Taeryu’s lips twisted cruelly.

The frightened light in Junhee’s trembling brown eyes looked ready to extinguish at any moment.

What little reason remained was hanging by a thread, fragile and fraying.

If he let it go, he would be swept away by the raging currents, never to return.

Junhee’s weak pheromones, which had lain dormant, began to stir, as if making one last desperate stand.

Like a bud that had been tightly shut, his pheromones spilled out with his ragged breaths.

“Where is that delicious scent coming from?”

Ki Taeryu’s lips sank into the nape of Junhee’s neck.

“Let go, right now…!”

Junhee clawed frantically at Ki Taeryu’s back with his nails, but Ki Taeryu only growled, as if even that pain pleased him.

His sharp nails dug into Junhee’s skin.

A tingling sensation spread along his carotid artery, as if something had been injected.

His heart pounded furiously, on the verge of bursting, while buttons popped off, scattering everywhere.

The thin thread snapped, and with it, reason fled. What replaced it was—

“Hic, hng! Please, don’t! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Don’t…!”

The sobs that burst forth made Ki Taeryu’s tense shoulders freeze.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again, I’ll listen! I won’t run away, I promise… Please, please…!”

Ki Taeryu’s brow furrowed. It was as if someone were hammering inside his skull.

Clinging desperately to his throbbing head, he shook Junhee’s shoulders.

“Yoo Junhee… Yoo Junhee!”

The limp body swayed helplessly with the shaking.

His dimmed eyes were filled with fear and resentment, void of any light.

“No, I… I told you no. Why me…? Why…! Die, just die already… Please, die…!”

Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Ki Taeryu rubbed Junhee’s face with the back of his hand.

He almost brought the damp skin to his lips, but stopped himself just in time.

“Damn it…”

Reaching out to pick up the pills, he spotted a crumpled medicine packet.

The pills Kim Daeheon had pressed into his hand, insisting he take them whenever the effects wore off.

Frantically, he tore open the packet and swallowed three pills without water.

To push down the tablets stuck in his throat, he gulped down mouthfuls of saliva, wetting his parched mouth.

The haze clouding his mind began to clear. Light returned to his once lifeless eyes.

As clarity returned, sensations flooded in from all directions.

“Yoo Junhee, Yoo Junhee…!”

His desperate voice echoed back at him, crawling into his ears like insects.

The faint light turned into a blinding summer sun, stabbing harshly into his eyes.

“Get a grip.”

He held Junhee’s limp body, whispering desperately as his consciousness slowly faded away.

---

The cruel memories of the past gnawed at the present.

What had driven Junhee into despair countless times had reared its ugly head again.

“Dad…?”

“Yes, Junhee. It’s me, your dad.”

The shadow lingering outside the school gates suddenly blocked Junhee’s path.

It was a cold winter day, just before he was to graduate high school.

It wasn’t the first time he’d shown up like this, but Junhee still looked surprised.

Once in a while. Every few years, he’d appear without warning to take Junhee out for a meal.

Today, too, he took Junhee to a Chinese restaurant, ordering a bowl of jajangmyeon and some sweet and sour pork, watching silently as Junhee ate.

“Eat up, Junhee.”

“…Why aren’t you eating, Dad?”

“I already ate.”

His worn face, covered in stubble, creased into a smile.

Even when he felt like he would burst, Junhee continued to eat, scraping up the sauce to the last drop, knowing that once the meal was over, his dad would leave.

Junhee eating alone, and his dad watching quietly.

That much was the same as usual.

The change came when Junhee picked up the last piece.

“Junhee, do you want to come live with me?”

The piece of meat slipped from his chopsticks, falling onto the table with a soft thud.

* * *